4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ OCTOBER 10, 2015
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
DISASTER PREP
B Y D AVE R OBINSON
Special to the Siuslaw News
“A
ctive shooter on Oregon com-
munity college campus!” was
on the CNN news feed on my
smart phone. My blood began to race and I
nearly dropped my phone bringing up more
details. I have two grandkids in the local
community college. As it turned out, it was
another campus about 60 miles away.
Stories of heroism along with stories of
unthinkable insanity are still coming out.
Political types are quick to make hay of one
form or another. Everyone in Southwestern
Oregon is grieving not only the tragic loss-
es, but just the fact that “this happened
here.”
Police train and school administrators
plan for what they hope will never happen
on their watch. Lockdown drills are held in
schools all across the country. Some states
even require periodic lockdowns. But no
amount of preplanning can cover every con-
tingency.
The day after the Umpqua Community
College shooting, certain mis-information
and misguided posts on social media led to
mid-morning school shutdowns in our own
county. Every police officer, paramedic and
emergency room worker knows that scared
people behave badly. That’s where dozens
of mildly (to not-so-mildly) anxious parents
began arriving at schools to pick up not
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
Opinion
Active shooter
only their own children, but in some cases,
their friends’ kids as well. Phone calls
clogged lines into the administrative offices,
and traffic flow problems restricted the
movement of school buses. Add to this cer-
tain school policies designed to keep kids
safe by restricting who can pick up whom
and you’ve got the recipe for a secondary
disaster.
Now take this to the next level. Let’s sup-
pose there is a natural disaster. We’ll use
“earthquake” just for the sake of discussion.
The roads are busted up, the phone lines are
completely down, electrical power is out
and the schools are full of our kids. Have
you discussed this scenario with your fami-
ly? Do you have a plan to reunite your fam-
ily if this happens? Even if schools can
deliver your children home, is anyone going
to be there? Who have you authorized to
pick up your children at the school if you
can’t get there? Do your kids know what to
do? These are all questions families need to
address and get settled now, before some-
thing happens.
Likewise, schools need to work on disas-
ter planning. Is there a drill that can be
designed to simulate a disaster and how do
we pull it off? Something that goes beyond
the lockdown or the “soft lockdown.” How
do we make it work when nothing else (like
Dave Robinson is the postmaster in
Bandon, Ore., and author of “Disaster Prep
for the Rest of Us.” He may be contacted at
disasterprep.dave@gmail.com. Visit his
website for more disaster preparedness tips,
www.disasterprepdave.blogspot.com.
LETTERS
Bob Forsythe’s announcement
that he will be stepping down as
manager of the Port of Siuslaw
comes as no surprise, but it still
feels unsettling and represents a
possible turning point in the
port’s current progress toward
fiscal responsibility and self-sus-
tainability (“Port Manager
Resigns,” Sept. 26, A1).
Forsythe and his dedicated
staff, over the past few years,
have turned a derelict of a port
into a seaworthy vessel. After
years, if not decades, of neglect
and decline, we now have the
beginnings of a real economic
development engine, capable of
raising the tide and lifting all
those in its basin.
Forsythe’s efforts and success-
es did not come without much
personal and professional strife
and admonishment from a variety
of sources, both inside and out-
side of the port’s governing body.
Regardless of those criticisms,
Forsythe’s greatest contribution
was his fair, even-handed, yet
unrelenting determination to
ensure all tasks, however menial,
were completed on time, on
budget and with the greatest ben-
efits to all parties involved.
I wish him and his new bride
the best as they pursue their
dreams and aspirations.
Now, the port’s governing
body has a difficult decision to
make; will it turn the vessel back
toward the shoals of self-interests
and risk sinking the ship, or will
they reach out and recruit the best
captain possible and continue to
tack a straight line toward eco-
nomic responsibility and commu-
nity success without undue per-
sonal meddling for personal
gain?
This decision will either herald
a triumph or a train-wreck, of
which, hopefully, the people of
the Port of Siuslaw will be paying
close attention. I know I will be.
Bill Fleenor
Former Port of Siuslaw
Commissioner
Mapleton
Australia’s approach
to gun violence
During our quadrennial politi-
cal silly season, we hear a lot
about American Exceptionalism.
Depending upon the candidate
(and his or her audience), our
national uniqueness is alluded to
in a variety of terms. But, the
tragedy at Umpqua Community
College reminds us yet again that
the particulars of our professed
uniqueness are not all positive.
Among advanced nations, we
are virtually unique in refusing to
admit the deadly connection
between firearms and mass mur-
der. How many other countries
have, like our FBI does, a catego-
ry, “mass murder,” for reporting
the murdering of four or more
persons during a single event.
Other countries do experience
instances of similar carnage, but
not with the regularity that we do.
The statistics of gun violence
have become as routine as a pres-
ident standing before us offering
the nation’s condolences. But,
between unrecognized mental ill-
ness, constitutional rights, a
plethora of firearms and a cultur-
al “frontier” tradition of self
reliance on guns, it is all too clear
that a “silver bullet” solution is
beyond our political reach.
But is there any good reason to
not treat a painful symptom —
that mass murder category —
even though we know it will not
cure the underlying illness?
Case in point: Australia.
On April 28-29, 1996, 35 peo-
ple were killed and 23 wounded,
mainly at a tourist site in the city
of Port Arthur, by a 28-year-old
Australian using an AR-15, an
FN FAL and a Daewoo Precision
12-gauge shotgun, all semi-auto-
matic assault-type weapons. It
later emerged that the perpetrator
had significant “intellectual dis-
abilities.”
Australia’s response was the
National Firearms Programme
Implementation Act
1996,
restricting the private ownership
#Iamucc
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
phones) does? Fire drills are proven to save
lives and have for decades. Lockdown
drills, unscheduled school closure drills and
serious disaster drills will save lives as well.
To plan for such a contingency, some
schools have purchased lockdown kits. The
kit is usually stored in a five-gallon bucket
and contains water pouches, food bars, first-
aid supplies and many other items consid-
ered useful to weather such an incident.
Some even include a snap-on toilet seat/lid
complete with toilet bags to provide for the
sanitary needs that would eventually arise.
Ideally, each classroom would have a kit
with enough supplies to meet the needs of
several students. One kit I checked out sold
for $70 and contained 30 water pouches. It
also had a battery-powered radio, several
light sticks and several other items.
It is unfortunate we have had to turn our
schools into fortresses, but with the right
planning and some supplies on hand, we
can make our schools safer for our kids.
______________________
Port facing
difficult decision
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
of semi-automatic rifles and shot
guns as well as introducing uni-
form firearms licensing and insti-
tuting a mandatory buy-back pro-
gram for newly banned weapons.
John Howard, Prime Minister
when the National Firearms
Programme was enacted with
bipartisan support, called on
America to follow in Australia’s
footsteps.
In the decade before the Port
Arthur massacre, there had been
11 mass murders in Australia.
Since enactment of the National
Firearms Programme, there has-
n’t been a single one.
Arnold Buchman
Florence
Rods support
It appears that some people
think the Rods ’n’ Rhodies car
show is unappreciated by our
Chamber of Commerce or our
Old Town merchants (“Car
Show,” Sept. 30).
A quick search on the Internet
showed a big colorful Web page
listed under the events section on
the chamber’s website. Also,
there were many posters promot-
ing the event around town. You
could even find these posters out-
side of our town.
As for the merchants in Old
Town, they gave an amazing
number of awards, as noted in the
awards list in the Siuslaw News a
week later. There were so many
categories it felt as if every car
won an award. It appeared that
these winners were voted on by
the merchants of Old Town. If
that’s not gratitude, then I guess I
don’t know what gratitude is.
I say kudos to the merchants of
Old Town and the same to our
Chamber of Commerce.
Long live Rods ’n’ Rhodies.
Michael Davis
Florence
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
• On Oct. 16, 1793, nine months after the
execution of her husband, King Louis XVI of
France, Marie-Antoinette follows him to the
guillotine. At a time of economic turmoil in
France, she lived extravagantly and allegedly
responded to news that the French peasantry
had no bread to eat by callously replying, “Let
them eat cake.”
• On Oct. 18, 1867, the U.S. formally takes
possession of Alaska after buying the territory
from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than 2
cents an acre. The American public ridiculed
the purchase, believing the land to be barren
and worthless.
• On Oct. 17, 1931, gangster Al Capone is
sentenced to 11 years in prison, signaling the
downfall of one of the most notorious criminals
of the 1920s and ‘30s. FBI agent Eliot Ness and
his men routinely broke up Capone’s bootleg-
ging businesses, but it was tax-evasion charges
that finally stuck.
• On Oct. 12, 1940, cowboy-movie star Tom
Mix is killed when he loses control of his
speeding Cord Phaeton convertible and rolls
into a dry wash in Arizona. Mix was hit in the
back of the head by a heavy aluminum suitcase,
killing him almost instantly.
• On Oct. 13, 1957, American movie audi-
ences are treated to the science-fiction thriller
“The Amazing Colossal Man.” Other films of
the Cold War nuclear-weapon culture included
“Them!” (1954) and “The Beast from 20,000
Fathoms” (1953).
• On Oct. 14, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis
begins, bringing the United States and the
Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict.
High-altitude photographs offered evidence of
Soviet-made medium-range missiles in Cuba,
just 90 miles from the U.S.
• On Oct. 15, 1989, Canadian ice hockey
great Wayne Gretzky breaks Gordie Howe’s
National Hockey League career scoring record
of 1,850 points. Gretzky dominated profession-
al hockey during the 1980s, setting numerous
records.
(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.
L ETTERS TO THE
E DITOR P OLICY
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to
the editor concerning issues affecting the
Florence area and Lane County.
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All submissions become the property of
Siuslaw News and will not be returned.
Write to:
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WHERE TO WRITE
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National
Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore.
Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax
541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com.
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us